Author: Gary Dickson

Gary Dickson is the writer, editor, and photographer of this blog. He has been a weekly newspaper editor, photojournalist, corporate trainer, mental health and substance abuse counselor, and university continuing education administrator. He decided to retire in September of 2017 after working at a dysfunctional group mental health private practice. After selling their house in the Morningside neighborhood of Sioux City, Gary and his wife, Nancy moved across the Big Sioux River to Dakota Dunes, SD. Nancy, who is five years Gary’s junior, continues to bring home a full-time paycheck so Gary can maintain his leisurely lifestyle. This includes homeschooling their cat, Willie, writing this blog, selling his photographs, taking more photographs, volunteering, and possibly someday getting a part-time job. Gary is well-versed in the geography, history, government, and people of the North Central Great Plains. He has lived in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska and has spent much of his life traveling the region and writing about and photographing the people and land of the Great Plains. Gary has been married to Nancy Bingner Dickson far longer than he has been married to anyone else and intends to keep it that way. He is originally from Sturgis, SD and Nancy is from Chancellor, SD. Some of the topics this blog will cover include: education, the Great Plains, government, politics, journalism, regional history, behavior, culture, arts, people, and the environment. Gary likes to nudge people out of complacency and point out hypocrisy when he sees it. He may also recount some of the poor decisions he has made in the past as a way to enlighten or entertain readers of this blog. He also reserves the right to include transcriptions of conversations he has with Willie. Gary is nothing else if not an amusement to himself. He uses a Nikon D3100 DSLR and a Samsung S5 smartphone to take his photos.
Crime, Justice, South DakotaLeave a comment

Texas couple convicted of theft of $500,000 from S.D. man

Gary Dickson

According to a press release from the South Dakota Attorney General’s office today, Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that a Texas couple has been convicted of a combined six charges in connection with stealing or attempting to steal the property of another person.

A Bon Homme County jury Wednesday convicted Richard Spry, 82, of two felony counts of Grand Theft and one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Grand Theft. Susan Spry, 75, was convicted of separate felony counts of Grand Theft and Conspiracy to Commit Grand Theft as well as one misdemeanor count of Theft by Exploitation. Both individuals are from League City, Texas. Continue reading Texas couple convicted of theft of $500,000 from S.D. man

Government, North Sioux City, South DakotaLeave a comment

Results from Tuesday’s election

Gary Dickson

North Sioux City experienced what election officials called a higher-than-normal turnout for the four races for city council seats as 614 people cast their votes.

The higher voter turnout may have been at least partially due to the interest generated by the Union Square housing development as well as the proposed North Shore Drive bypass project. Another issue generating interest recently has been a proposed housing project by Mike Chicoine who lives outside the city, where he wants to build a canal for his housing development using water pumped from McCook Lake. Continue reading Results from Tuesday’s election

Environment, Government, South DakotaLeave a comment

State DANR announces more than $172 million for environmental projects

Gary Dickson

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) announced the Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved $172,554,815 in grants and loans for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste projects in South Dakota.

The $172,554,815 total consists of $20,007,550 in grants and $152,547,265 in low-interest loans, including $10,986,600 in principal forgiveness to be administered by the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Included in the funding were 11 projects in the Siouxland communities of Alcester, Hudson, Parker, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Viborg and Worthing, plus the Lincoln County Rural Water System and the South Eastern Council of Governments out of Sioux Falls. Continue reading State DANR announces more than $172 million for environmental projects

Commentary, EnvironmentLeave a comment

Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

Gary Dickson

The ice on Spirit Lake went out this year on March 3.

From 1944, when the record-keeping began, through 1981, the ice went out in the latter half of April about once every third or fourth year.  Since 2001, the ice has gone out in the latter half of April only once.

Looking at it another way, the ice cover on Spirt Lake has been decreasing in terms of how long it lasts each year for the past quarter-century or so.

The obvious conclusion is that the water temperatures in the Iowa Great Lakes are getting warmer, a result of ongoing global warming, which is part . . .
Continue reading Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

Business, Health, SiouxlandLeave a comment

Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.

Gary Dickson

State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa and South Dakota restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including poorly cooked beef, lack of food thermometers, unclean equipment, handling food with bare hands, repeat violations and dirty kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. South Dakota food establishment inspections are handled by the South Dakota Department of Health. Listed below are some of the findings that stem from inspections at Siouxland restaurants and convenience stores over the past five weeks.

Dig in to the details. Continue reading Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.

Healthcare, Iowa, Justice2 Comments

State-certified caregiver charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

Gary Dickson

A state-certified caregiver has been arrested and charged with sexually exploiting a minor while employed by an Iowa nursing home.

The most recent case, and the only one in which criminal charges have been filed, involves Guider’s employment at the Pleasantview Home in Kalona.

Over the past 12 months, Martell Guider, a 36-year-old male certified nursing assistant, has been the subject of complaints regarding a series of alleged incidents involving sexual impropriety at three Iowa nursing homes located in Audubon, Correctionville and Kalona. Continue reading State-certified caregiver charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

Siouxland Observed1 Comment

Siouxland Observed, #10: Where is this and what was it called?

Gary Dickson

Yeah, I know, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a “Siouxland Observed” feature – two months almost to the day. Let’s see if we can get more folks participating in this photo guessing game with two pictures of a popular Union County eating spot until it closed a couple of years ago.

The restaurant/lounge sat on the outskirts of one of our population centers. It had good cow, chicken, fish, and a salad bar. Continue reading Siouxland Observed, #10: Where is this and what was it called?

Health, South DakotaLeave a comment

South Dakota’s high healthcare costs causing many to skip treatments

Gary Dickson

The high cost of obtaining health care in South Dakota – ranked second most expensive in the nation – is prompting some residents to forgo necessary medical care over worries they cannot afford it, according to a recent national data analysis.

South Dakota is followed only by North Carolina in a new national ranking of healthcare expenses based on the cost of medical care and insurance. At nearly $12,500 per year, the state has the highest per-capita healthcare spending rate among all Great Plains states, the data show. Continue reading South Dakota’s high healthcare costs causing many to skip treatments

Commentary, South DakotaLeave a comment

The cost of free land and either-or history

Gary Dickson

Some white South Dakotans love to talk about their generational connection to the land. I’m one of them: a proud, fifth-generation descendant of Dakota Territory homesteaders.

The federal government awarded nearly 100,000 parcels of free land to South Dakota settlers via the 1862 Homestead Act and successive rounds of related legislation. Modern South Dakotans celebrate that legacy in myriad ways, including an annual State Fair ceremony honoring farms and ranches owned by the same family for 100 or more years.

Too few of us pause to consider how that must sound to Native Americans. Their connection to the land spans hundreds of generations and thousands of years. Before any white settler rushed to claim free land in western South Dakota, the federal government broke a treaty that promised to reserve all of that land as a Great Sioux Reservation. Continue reading The cost of free land and either-or history

Crime, Government, Justice, South Dakota1 Comment

Union County Court: 3/11 – 3/22/24

Gary Dickson

Following are two weeks worth of cases that have been disposed in the Union County courts. They include everything from traffic to trucking/transportation to criminal cases.

Included is a guide to one case that looks on the surface as if it has a high number of charges. But everything is not always as it appears at first glance.

There are also a couple of high fine amounts for truckers in this round of court activities. How high can they go? Continue reading Union County Court: 3/11 – 3/22/24